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THE MINE ACTION SUPPORT GROUP (MASG)

(Hosted by E-Mine)

The Mine Action Support Group (MASG), or Groupe de Soutien à l'Action contre les Mines (GSAM), established in 1998, endeavors to coordinate the humanitarian mine action programs of the world's major donor states, harmonize the prioritization of their respective mine action programs, and increase donor support for mine action where it is most needed.

The MASG is composed of over 30 donor states. A number of international organizations attend as observers and include members of the United Nations Inter-Agency Coordination Group for Mine Action (IACG-MA), the Geneva International Center for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD), the Organization of American States (OAS), the International Trust Fund (ITF) and James Madison University (JMU/CISR).

The MASG serves as a forum for the exchange of information as well as the coordination of financial support and resources. It meets twice a year and adheres to the Chatham House Rule whereby participants are free to use the information received, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speaker(s), nor that of any other participant, may be revealed; nor may it be mentioned that the information was received at a meeting of the MASG, without the express consent of the participants(s) or speaker(s). Participants are welcome to submit presentations and reports in electronic format that they have specifically designated to be shared with the public and made transparent to all other donors.

Chairmanship of the MASG rotates every two years. Italy is serving as the Chair of the MASG in 2016.

A small Secretariat collects information, provides reports, organizes meetings, and facilitates visits to certain mine affected countries as agreed to by the MASG members.